Search Results (3,853)

A novel sodium-oxide-fluxed slag is applied in the aluminothermic reduction of manganese ore. The slag’s high Al₂O₃ solubility facilitates the recycling of Al₂O₃ through hydrometallurgical processes, where NaAlO₂ serves as a water-leachable compound. Aluminothermic reduction is gaining renewed interest as an alternative processing route for the circular economy. In addition, CO₂ emissions in aluminium production via the electrochemical Hall–Héroult process can be reduced if the process electricity is sourced from non-fossil fuels. The unique Na₂O-fluxed MnO₂ ore formulation includes a small quantity of carbon reductant to ensure rapid pre-reduction to MnO. This approach negates the need for a pre-roasting step. Feed mixture variations with different collector metal additions (Si, Cr, Cu) were made to improve alloy–slag separation efficiency. The collector metals may influence the chemistry of the slag. This work compares the phase chemistry of slags formed during aluminothermic reduction to equilibrium phase chemistries calculated for the Na₂O-SiO₂-Al₂O₃-MnO-CaO system. The slag phase morphology consists of distinct alumina-rich strands (1.5% to 2.1%) embedded within a Na₂O-SiO₂-Al₂O₃-MnO-CaO glass matrix. The alumina-rich strands appear molten, indicating that the processing temperatures were higher than their liquidus temperatures (1537 °C to 1655 °C), as high as 1921 °C and 2053 °C. These findings contribute to sustainable practices in the circular economy through the production of low-carbon ferro-manganese complex alloys. Full article

Aqueous zinc–manganese dioxide (Zn–MnO₂) batteries are undergoing a paradigm shift from traditional ion-insertion mechanisms to a reversible deposition/dissolution process. By leveraging a two-electron transfer (Mn²⁺/MnO₂), this electrolytic system achieves a high theoretical capacity of 616 mAh g⁻¹ and a theoretical operating voltage of 1.99 V. However, the accumulation of dead Mn, electrically isolated inactive phases, and dynamic interfacial pH fluctuations remain critical barriers to cycle life and practical energy density. This review systematizes a trinitarian strategy to overcome these bottlenecks, focusing on interfacial engineering, redox mediator-assisted recovery, and advanced electrode architectures. We evaluate how anion engineering and pH-buffering stabilize reaction pathways, and how diverse mediators (e.g., halogens, metal ions, and organic molecules) chemically rescue inactive manganese. Furthermore, we examine the integration of 3D carbon networks and low-cost hybrid electrodes to sustain high-areal-capacity deposition. To elucidate these complex mechanisms, we highlight multiscale analytical approaches combining synchrotron X-ray techniques and density functional theory (DFT). Finally, we outline a roadmap for applications ranging from grid-scale flow batteries to flexible wearable electronics. This work provides a comprehensive perspective on realizing sustainable, safe, and high-performance zinc-based energy storage. Full article

Background: Despite being considered a country with a larger health workforce in Africa, the South African health workforce continues to experience shortages and a maldistribution of health workers across regions and sectors. Current projections suggest that the workforce is expected to decline further, especially among doctors, nurses and midwives, in large part, due to attrition—which could compromise the delivery of primary health and maternity services. These health workforce shortages and uneven distribution threaten the sustainability and effectiveness of health services in South Africa and drives the need to investigate the factors that may be influencing career choice and change decisions among health professionals in South Africa. Methods: A qualitative exploratory study, making use of purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews, was conducted to investigate the factors influencing career choice and change decisions among health professionals in South Africa. The participants were qualified health professionals in the fields of medicine, nutrition, pharmacy, nursing, and psychology working in the private, public, and academic sectors. Data was collected until saturation was achieved and then thematically analyzed using MAXQDA 24. Results: A total of 10 participants made up of three males and seven females were interviewed. These participants worked in different employment sectors with some having dual roles in private practice, public sector, and academia. The analysis revealed three major themes that capture the nature of and factors influencing career choice and career changes occurring in South Africa. The first theme related to factors influencing career choice (including altruism, family influence, personal experiences, financial/job security, academic achievement, career guidance, and opportunity for change). The second theme focused on career change dynamics (nature of career changes and career transitions occurring in the form of specialization, switching health professions, exiting health professions, adding non-health interests, and shifting focus areas). The third theme revealed factors influencing career change. These were categorized into personal and individual factors, workplace or job-specific factors, and administrative factors. This study has contributed to understanding the career choices and career changes taking place within the health professions in South Africa. It has also revealed a need for reforms in policy and practice for the current health professionals who have no intention of changing their careers while highlighting implications for future training of health professionals. Also, addressing the challenges of poor working conditions, lack of support, unemployment and placement delays, and other administrative barriers will help mitigate some of the issues leading to health workforce shortages and inequities in the South African context. Conclusions: The strongest motivator for choosing a career in health professions is the desire to care for others, while retention of the health workforce is challenged by personal, workplace, and administrative factors. Enhancing workplace conditions and support systems, implementing policy reforms, and minimizing administrative barriers is essential for achieving universal health coverage and sustaining a resilient health workforce in South Africa. Full article

This study examines how German textbooks provide learning-behavioral affordances for sustainability-oriented intercultural competence development. Drawing on Klieme’s competence-model logic, ESD, intercultural competence research, learning behavior theory, and affordance theory, it treats “sustainable intercultural competence” not as a standardized construct but as a working shorthand for the sustainability-oriented development of intercultural competence. Methodologically, the study adopts a directed qualitative content analysis supplemented by descriptive frequency aggregation. All 37 units across the four volumes of Meilenstein were coded on a 0–2 scale across three affordance dimensions: cognitive-understanding affordance, reflective value-judgment affordance, and interaction-action affordance. The findings show that the series provides substantial but uneven affordances. Interaction-action received the highest aggregated score, followed by cognitive-understanding, whereas reflective value-judgment remained substantially lower. Units on family, identity, sustainability, and civic engagement offer the most balanced affordance structures, whereas everyday practical units privilege communicative action and disciplinary units privilege cognitive understanding. The study argues that textbook-based intercultural learning should be examined not only through topic inclusion but also through how texts, prompts, and tasks organize opportunities for comparison, reflection, judgment, negotiation, and action. Full article

This study examines how the Internet of Things (IoT) acts as a key enabler of sustainability in industrial production systems within the Industry 4.0 paradigm, addressing the fragmented understanding of the mechanisms linking digital technologies to environmental, operational, and emerging human-centric outcomes. A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines using the Web of Science Core Collection. After applying explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria, 69 peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2026 were analyzed through qualitative thematic synthesis and comparative analysis. The findings reveal that IoT functions as a foundational digital infrastructure enabling real-time monitoring, operational transparency, and data-driven decision-making in production environments. Four dominant application domains are identified: (i) energy and resource efficiency, (ii) production monitoring and control, (iii) predictive maintenance and asset management, and (iv) emerging human-centric production systems aligned with Industry 5.0. While IoT consistently improves operational reliability and resource efficiency, its contribution to the social dimension of sustainability remains comparatively underdeveloped. This study advances the existing literature by providing a mechanism-oriented synthesis that explains how IoT-enabled infrastructures generate sustainability outcomes across production systems. Furthermore, it establishes a conceptual bridge between Industry 4.0 digitalization and the transition toward human-centric and resilient manufacturing models associated with Industry 5.0. From a practical perspective, the results highlight that IoT adoption contributes to reducing energy consumption, optimizing resource utilization, and enhancing operational performance, while also supporting safer and more adaptive working environments. However, challenges related to data integration, workforce adaptation, and digital capability gaps persist, underscoring the need for inclusive and strategically aligned digital transformation processes. Full article

Vocational integration (VI) services aim to support sustainable employment for persons with disabilities. However, in individuals with spinal cord injury, evidence on effective intervention targets and the evaluation of sustainable integration remains limited. The Work–Life Study aims to build an evidence base for supporting sustainable employment in Switzerland by (1) identifying typical work–life trajectories; (2) examining key work–life transitions and their predictors; (3) establishing a multi-state model for intervention targets; (4) exploring individual work–life narratives; and (5) developing guidelines for personalized VI practice. The study combines a mixed methods design with a collaborative Integrated Knowledge Translation approach, actively involving VI professionals and individuals with spinal cord injury. Participants are recruited from the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI). Work–life history data are collected through a Biographical Survey and Biographical Interviews and analyzed alongside SwiSCI data. Guideline development includes a stakeholder meeting with representatives from the Swiss Paraplegic Group, spinal cord injury clinics, individuals with spinal cord injury, employers, and disability insurers. Of 2041 eligible SwiSCI participants, 478 (23.4%) completed the Biographical Survey (median age 57.5 years; median time since injury 19.1 years), with responders and non-responders showing comparable characteristics. Work–life data closely matched existing SwiSCI data (rho > 0.8), indicating good recall. The resulting guidelines will help VI providers coordinate rehabilitation services to optimally promote sustainable employment for individuals with spinal cord injury. Full article

Cuba is driving its sustainable energy transition with renewables as the central axis, although the Cuban government estimates that substantial investments will be necessary to achieve this goal. This work presents a proposal for a Management Model of International Cooperation for the Development of Renewable Energies, aimed at mobilizing the required funds. The model was designed through a structured questionnaire with 7 dimensions, 22 activities, and 5 subprocesses to guide the collaborative management of projects. The methodological approach was quantitative, descriptive, and psychometric, ensuring content validity through expert evaluation and statistical analysis. Reliability was established through internal consistency measures, while construct validity was supported by an exploratory factor analysis, confirming its feasibility and coherence. The validated questionnaire confirms its methodological rigor and practical utility, favoring the subsequent implementation of the model for Cuba’s transition toward green energy. Full article

Racial diversity is normatively desirable in public organizations, but the social and psychological processes it activates may lead to employees’ negative work attitudes. Combining social categorization theory, perceived organizational support theory, and psychological contract theory, this study investigates whether racial diversity is negatively related to employee work engagement in U.S. federal agencies and whether the perceived effectiveness of agency ethics programs moderates this relationship. Using multilevel mixed-effects regression analyses with data from 10,088 employees nested within 24 federal agencies drawn from the 2016 Merit Principles Survey, we find that racial diversity was negatively associated with work engagement. However, this negative relationship was reduced when employees perceived their agency’s ethics program as more effective. At high levels of perceived effectiveness, the negative association was no longer statistically significant. These findings suggest that the perceived effectiveness of ethics programs is a meaningful organizational condition under which the negative association between racial diversity and work engagement may be attenuated. This pattern has implications for diversity management and human resource practice in ethical, high-performing, and sustainable public organizations. Full article

Background: The integration of internationally educated nurses (IENs) into healthcare workforces is expanding globally, yet organization-led support models remain understudied. Successful IEN integration requires ethical recruitment, structured onboarding, workforce support, and stakeholder engagement in policy discussions related to transition and retention. Objective: To examine the conceptualization, implementation, and policy implications of the Philippine Nurses Association of America Cy Pres Task Force’s national initiative to support IEN onboarding and transition into U.S. healthcare. Methods: This descriptive program evaluation utilized governance documents, program planning records, policy summit materials, aggregated survey findings, PNAA Human Rights Committee resources, and the Handbook for Filipino Nurses Immigrating to the United States to examine initiative development, implementation processes, and program outputs. A descriptive narrative synthesis was used to characterize program structure, stakeholder engagement, and policy priorities. Findings: The PNAA Cy Pres governance model was built around ethical recruiting, workforce integration, and advocacy. The work began with policy summits with nurse leaders, health care organizations, recruitment agencies, and policy experts, focusing on hiring, onboarding, legal issues, and staff retention. Stakeholder engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and appreciative inquiry were used to identify best practices and goals. Key outputs included the establishment of a national governance structure, implementation of national and regional policy summits, and identification of policy priorities related to ethical recruitment, onboarding, workforce integration, and governance. Conclusions: The PNAA Cy Pres initiative provides an implementation-informed approach that may help guide future workforce integration efforts. The study illustrates how ethical recruitment, workforce integration, and stakeholder engagement can help translate workforce policy principles into practice. Policy & Practice Implications: Healthcare institutions, policymakers, and professional organizations need to work together to standardize onboarding, ethical recruitment, and support mechanisms to facilitate the integration and sustainability of the IEN workforce. Full article

Background/Objectives: Effective clinical leadership is a critical driver of healthcare quality, patient safety, and organisational performance. However, evidence on the leadership competencies of healthcare professionals in formal management roles remains fragmented. It is dispersed across professional groups, healthcare contexts, and conceptual frameworks, limiting opportunities for synthesis and cumulative knowledge development. This systematic review examined three questions: how clinical managers perceive their leadership competency; what challenges they encounter in exercising leadership roles; and what development mechanisms the literature identifies. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261305279). Four databases were searched: Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMCARE, and Web of Science from January 2010 to February 2026. Two reviewers independently screened studies; methodological quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Reported competencies were mapped to the five domains of the Clinical Leadership Competency Framework (CLCF) using narrative integrative synthesis. Results: Forty-nine studies were included across quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs from 24 countries. Competencies in the Working with Others and Demonstrating Personal Qualities domains were reported as strengths across the largest number of included studies. Competencies in Managing Services, Improving Services, and Setting Direction were reported as areas of weakness or developmental need across multiple studies. Leadership challenges included inadequate preparation, role ambiguity, limited authority, and organisational constraints. Development needs spanned formal training, strategic competency building, mentoring, and sustained organisational support. Conclusions: Clinical leadership competency is unevenly distributed across CLCF domains. This pattern reflects not only individual developmental gaps but also the organisational and contextual conditions that shape how leadership is enacted in practice. The findings support a contextual-relational model of clinical leadership. Both individual capability and enabling organisational conditions must be addressed to strengthen leadership effectiveness across healthcare systems. Full article

In Türkiye, working life operates within a hybrid structure in which modern production relations and traditional gender roles intertwine. The automotive sector, in particular, where hegemonic masculinity and conservative values are reproduced, creates a breeding ground for discriminatory practices and safety issues affecting LGB employees. This study aims to analyze the psychosocial and organizational mechanisms underlying LGB individuals’ decisions to disclose or conceal their identities in the context of neoconservative social pressure and industrial masculine culture in Türkiye. Using a qualitative research design grounded in the social constructivist paradigm, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 LGB individuals working at different levels of the sector. Data were analyzed using reflective thematic analysis. The findings revealed themes of controlled openness, emotional labor, defense mechanisms, organizational silence, micro-solidarity, and ordinary visibility. It was determined that identity management is experienced as “strategic risk management” rather than an act of liberation, that hierarchical advancement increases the “glass closet” effect, and that employees constantly exhaust their cognitive capacity in a state of “hyper-vigilance”. In conclusion, the study examines the divergence between multinational corporations’ global inclusion policies and local practices and explores the structural factors that sustain organizational silence. Full article

Persistent teacher shortages in rural schools continue to challenge the provision of equitable, high-quality education. While research has documented the difficulties of recruiting and retaining teachers in these contexts, less attention has been given to how the conditions of teaching are shaped through leadership in contexts of workforce instability. This study examines how principals in rural schools in Victoria, Australia, respond to ongoing shortages through place-responsive leadership strategies. Drawing on qualitative interview data from principals across diverse rural school settings, the study identifies three interrelated practices: cultivating place-based recruitment pathways, fostering retention through care, professional development and wellbeing, and sustaining the workforce through community embedded practices. These practices shape the conditions under which teachers work by strengthening relationships, supporting wellbeing, and fostering belonging. The study conceptualises workforce sustainability as a professional condition actively constructed through leadership in context. Full article

Faculty governance in higher education depends on transparent participation, reliable quorum enforcement, accountable record keeping, and strict alignment with institutional regulations. Conventional departmental council processes provide formal authority and academic deliberation, but they often rely on manual documentation, fragmented records, and procedural enforcement that is difficult to verify after the fact. This work presents an integrated hybrid Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) framework for faculty governance that combines regulatory alignment analysis, a working smart-contract prototype, and scenario-based simulation. The framework is designed for university departmental councils and is structured across three layers: off-chain community governance, on-chain protocol governance, and off-chain execution governance. It expands prior conceptual work by incorporating governance dimensions related to roles, incentives, membership, communication, decision-making, identity, auditability, conflict-of-interest handling, and institutional ratification. The evaluation simulates 1488 proposals across twelve scenarios covering four faculty sizes (15, 30, 50, and 100 members) and three adoption levels (low, moderate, and high). Scenario results indicate that adoption intensity is the dominant driver of governance performance: mean participation increases from about 33% under low usage to about 85% under high usage, quorum achievement rises from about 6% to about 96%, and execution rises from about 19% to about 70%. Relative to a modeled conventional workflow baseline, the DAO-supported process reduces decision-cycle time by about 76%, improves audit completeness by about 30%, and increases traceability from about 0.63 to 1.00. The results indicate that DAO-assisted faculty governance can strengthen transparency, procedural consistency, and auditability while preserving legally mandated university authority, but its practical value depends on sustained participation, privacy safeguards, cost control, and clearly defined hybrid control points. Full article

Rapid urbanization in tropical Asia has led to a critical loss of green cover, exacerbating urban environmental challenges. While green roofs offer a promising Nature-based solution, their implementation in Asian countries is hindered by the prevalence of sloped roofs and high structural conversion costs. This research addresses this gap by developing a novel, lightweight vegetative roof tile designed as a direct structural replacement for conventional roofing materials in Sri Lanka. Existing roofing systems were studied, followed by a laboriousness study to determine the optimum tile dimensions. To meet these requirements, a modular tile measuring 900 mm × 1200 mm with a wave-shaped corrugated profile (a 10 mm rise and a 200 mm pitch) was engineered using SolidWorks 2024 and ABAQUS 2024 to meet Eurocode standards. Field investigations into plant health helped to finalize the depth of the roof tile as 2.5 cm. Following root penetration testing, fiber-reinforced plastic was selected for the tile structure to ensure durability while maintaining a total saturated weight of 52.5 kg/m². Biological testing demonstrated robust greening performance, with Axonopus compressus and Zoysia matrella achieving 100% survival rates and over 80% canopy coverage. This design methodology can be adapted across tropical Asia, contributing significantly to regional green infrastructure development and sustainable building practices. Full article

Disability Enterprises have the potential to address employment barriers that people with an intellectual disability experience as they move into open employment. Disability Enterprises are able to facilitate this transition through strategic organisational design, but it is unknown the extent to which organisations are following what could be considered best practice. Utilising a survey and interview approach, we aimed to understand how well organisations align with the ‘WISE-Ability’ model and the ongoing challenges they face in supporting open employment pathways for people with a disability working at the enterprise. Staff (94) from Disability Enterprises completed a survey where they rated their own organisation against a number of criteria related to organisational design and operation related to transitioning supported employees to open employment. After completing the survey, organisational staff (19) participated in a semi-structured interview. Disability Enterprises provide training and life skills development options with the end goal of employment transition. Training is adapted to the needs of individuals and there is flexibility in the pace of learning and rostering of shifts. Disability Enterprises develop industry-specific work skills and independent life skills. Pathways to employment are offered in most cases; however, there is variation in the success and scale of employment pathways. Organisations continue to face challenges that exist in the disability service system and open labour market. Organisations are confident that they are able to offer a culture of support and respect, choice and variety of employment options, busy and quiet spaces, and areas for rest and accessible workspaces where individuals feel empowered and safe to try new tasks. Many organisations developed relationships with external stakeholders and employers to facilitate financial sustainability and employment pathways. However, organisations face challenges in the following areas: resourcing pathways to employment and offering certified training options for people working in a Disability Enterprise. Employment pathways were often carved out on a case-by-case basis relying on significant staff support and after-hour work. Full article